“We need…beautiful design to change people’s perception toward e-bikes in Asian market,” writes Tetsuya Ohashi, public relations manager for Terra Motors in an email to Red Herring. “When it comes to electric vehicle in Asia, a lot of people imagine Chinese e-bike. It is cheap but low quality, power, bad design etc…then it didn’t change people’s lifestyle from gasoline vehicle to electric vehicle  in Asia so far.”

For Asian drivers, a lifestyle change may be in order. According to Ohashi, 17,000 people per year die of air pollution-related diseases in Vietnam. And besides environmental issues, gas-powered vehicles also fuel dependence on petrol––which can cost upwards of $6 a gallon in Japan.

Concentrating on Asian markets, Terra plans to sell 100,000 of their new A4000i models, unveiled last week, by the end of 2015. The e-scooter, equipped with smartphone capabilities, lets drivers dock their iPhones in the bike’s dash where it can track speed, battery life and other data via wireless connection. Priced at $4,500, the A4000i saves drivers cash on gas; and with battery life listed at 50,000 km (about 31,000 miles), Terra promises it’ll outlast alternatives on the market by a longshot.

“Our originality is battery. Its lifetime is about 5 times longer than others,” Ohashi writes. “So customers don’t need to care about battery exchanging so much.”

Multiple aspects of city life make e-bikes and scooters an appealing alternative to cars and other gas-guzzling vehicles in Asia. They’re perfect for short-range trips (the A4000i gets around 31 miles per charged battery); they cut down transit-produced air pollution; and they’re priced right for the middle class urbanite.

“Depends on how long and how often you ride in a year,” Ohashi writes. “But we could say the cost of e-scooter usage is approximately 1/10 cheaper [than] gasoline motorcycle.”

Today, eighty percent of global sales for gas-powered motorcycles come from Asia. While droves of drivers have already turned to EV to save money on fuel, there are those who became disenchanted with cheap models that broke down when e-bikes first flooded the market.

“Though Chinese electric scooters have competitiveness in the prices, the quality is poor and maintenance network is not organized,” Ohashi writes. “That`s why the sales of Chinese electric scooters shrunk rapidly in South-Asian market.”

With so many riding bikes, tuk-tuk trikes and scooters, Terra saw an opportunity to create and sell vehicles drivers could trust not to die on them. Their company promise to stay on-call for after-sales support also set them apart. And with specific consideration for Asia’s transportation challenges, Terra is now poised to become the name in two-and-three-wheel EV.

They’re also gunning for credibility, as Terra looks to establish a reputation equal to other giants in the energy market. “[We] aim for the same positions in the electric two-wheelers industry as Tesla Motors in the electric automotive industry,” Ohashi writes.

While the company claims it’s number one in providing electric scooters in Japan, it’s also taking steps to ensure its preeminence in Southeast Asian markets.

Currently, 3.5 million gas-powered trikes and motorcycles crowd roads in the Philippines. To trim that number, the Asian Development Bank loaned the government $300 million to mobilize 100,000 e-trikes by 2016. And while the jury’s still out whether Terra’s got the job, the company’s presence in the Philippines and their futuristic tuk-tuk design can’t hurt.

“Bidding will be concluded after two month. There are ten candidate, and three will be chosen for the project,” writes Ohashi. “We are optimistic about the bidding, as we are the only manufacturer of electric vehicle within candidates.”

Years ago, firms jumped the gun in making electric transport cheap. What EV used to lack in after-sales service (including access to parts and support), Terra will provide, ensuring e-bikes and trikes get talked about for the right reasons. Now, Terra vehicles hope to give EV a good name and may end up paving the way for future electric transit in Asia.

Harnessing the power of ammonia, Ductor hopes to revolutionize both garden farming and gas tanks by the end of this summer.

The company is developing what it claims to be the world’s first industrial scale ammonia and phosphate production technology based on a 100 percent biological process that actually reduces rather than contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. This allows it to create a low cost fertilizer that doesn’t pollute, as well as a commercially viable way to produce a crude oil alternative made from algae.

On the fertilizer side, Ductor’s technology replaces current industrial production of ammonia from natural gas and mining-based phosphates production. Ammonia and phosphate production are the basic components of fertilizer manufacturing that are also big contributors to pollution and carbon dioxide emissions. Under precise conditions as well as a specially patented brand population of bacteria, the company utilizes organic waste streams like slaughterhouse and food waste as feedstock materials to create ammonia through a natural process. Ammonia and phosphates are separated from the feedstock to make fertilizers, and the remaining biomass can be sold as black soil to optimize each resource. One hundred percent biologically produced, the fertilizers are equal in strength to chemically manufactured fertilizers, according to the company.

The company is also working on creating crude oil from algae in what it claims to be “the first commercially viable solution,” CEO Ari Ketola wrote in an email interview with Red Herring. Most R&D spent on creating crude oil from algae has focused on genetic manipulation of the algae, Ketola explained. Current approaches to crude oil also require intense energy to create it as well as an abundant supply of algae. Ductor’s bioprocess actually produces all the energy required, plus excess energy that it can then sell elsewhere. The company takes existing algae and optimizes growing conditions, using nutrients gathered through the Ductor bioprocess, as well as other undisclosed innovations. The resulting product has the needed mass to reach profitable production, according to Ketola.

The company is currently fine tuning its technology in a small scale bioprocess testing factory. Ketola estimates it is 1.5 years ahead of its original schedule. As a technology company, Ductor will license the technology to customers that will then manufacture the product.  Its technology will be ready for licensing by the end of the summer.

“Ductor’s innovation is a truly unique solution that will not only solve several key issues for our planet, but also creates a new, highly profitable business,” Ketola said. “The Ductor bioprocess is extremely economical as it produces its own energy for the process. Cost efficiency has been one of our leading bioprocess design principles, and we are absolutely confident that the overall business case is viable, also for developing countries.”

At the close of January, the company landed €1.1 million ($1.4 million) from TEKES (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Research), which it will use to complete technology development and start commercialization. This brings Ductor funding to total €3.85 million ($5 million) for the past year as the company previously in 2012 raised another round of  €2.75 million ($3.58 million).  Naturally, the company targets the energy industry, but recycling industries like vendor rendering and food waste will also benefit from its technology as well as organic fertilizer manufacturers.

“This new Ductor technology will change several matters for our planet, secure food production, reduce CO2 emissions, reduce fertilizer-based pollution, free farming land from energy crops to food production,” Ketola said.

If all goes well, Ductor’s technology should be contributing to gas stations and gardens by the next harvest.

The project will bring the bulk of Google’s renewable energy assets to an impressive 2 gigawatts, enough electricity to power 500,000 homes or drive a car around the globe 190,000 times. The new facility will be managed by EDF Renewable Energy, and will sell energy to SPS, a subsidiary of Xcel Technology that serves Texas and New Mexico. The facility is scheduled to be up and running by the end of the year.

EDF purchased the wind farm last January from Austin-based Cielo Wind Power for $322 million in order to begin construction and qualify for several government incentives scheduled to expire by the end of 2012.

Since 2010, Google has made 11 renewable energy investments. Its current renewable energy assets total $1 billion. Other projects in the tech company’s portfolio include the Atlantic Wind Connection, an offshore grid that will connect 7,000 megawatts of off shore wind energy to the coast which the company owns a 37.5 stake, as well as a $280 million fund to assist finance residential solar installations through San Mateo’s SolarCity.

Yet its more than just a green heart that is driving Google’s green energy investments, the company indicated on its blog.

“We look for projects like Spinning Spur because, in addition to creating more renewable energy and strengthening the local economy, they also make for smart investments: They offer attractive returns relative to the risks and allow us to invest in a broad range of assets,” Google said on its blog.

The group’s financial backing will help MiaSole invest in research and development as it rides out a downturn in the global solar market that has resulted from overproduction caused by grants from the Chinese government that allowed hundreds of small producers to flood the market.

It is the group’s second acquisition of a struggling green energy provider, after purchasing the Solibro unit of Germany’s Q-Cells SE in June. Both acquired companies specialize in the production of
thin-film solar cells, which boost efficiency over traditional silicon-based cells. A thin film solar cell is created through layers of photovoltaic material placed on a semiconductor wafer. Rather than silicon, MiaSole uses gallium, indium, copper, and selenium which provides greater flexibility for large rooftop and ground-mounted industrial deployment.

“Our acquisition of MiaSole is another landmark deal and key milestone to facilitate the global clean-energy technology integration after we acquired German thin-film technology provider Solibro,” said Li Hejun, Chairman of Hanergy Holding Group. “Hanergy is determined to be a global renewable-energy leader. In the solar-energy sector, Hanergy is committed to developing thin-film PV technology, providing turn-key solutions, and developing solar plants. The future of solar energy is thin-film technology.”

After producing several hundred megawatts last year, he company expects to produce 2.5 gigawatts of panels this year.

Hanergy bought MiaSole last year from venture firms which have invested more than $550 million in the company.

The price of the deal was undisclosed, though the company told the AP the price was about one tenth of the initial $1.2 billion asking price.

“MiaSole has advanced solar technology by developing the highest efficiency and lowest-cost CIGS modules but we needed to align with a strategic partner in order to deploy our technology across a larger global scale,” said John Carrington, CEO of MiaSole. “This acquisition of MiaSole is a win-win outcome for both companies.”

LightSail, an innovative Berkeley company that uses air compression, water droplets and some creative thermodynamics to store clean energy for the long term, has raised $37.3 million from none other than Bill Gates and Peter Thiel.

One of the biggest drawbacks of clean energy is that it comes and goes with the weather. Wind and solar energy cannot be easily stored for peak usage, limiting how much clean energy companies can charge for the energy they harvest. Current methods for capturing energy are complex. Pumped hydro uses mountain ranges that harness the energy through water that is pumped uphill during off-peak times, then allowed to flow downhill through hydro turbines, recapturing about 75 percent of the energy put in. Compressed energy storage, in which electrically-powered air compressors pump air into storage tanks which is then released to harness the electricity, only recover a small fraction of the energy used to run the compressors.

LightSail, on the other hand, solves the problems of compressed energy storage by combining air compression with water and creative thermodynamics. Tiny water droplets absorb and hold onto the heat created during compression. When the stored energy is needed, the same water droplets return the heat to the compressed air as it expands. As a result, about 70 percent of the stored energy can be delivered on demand. It’s much cheaper and you don’t need a mountain range, yet its efficiency is comparable to pumped hydro. Though the process is still in R&D, the company has managed to demonstrate a high-efficiency storage cycle at 100 kilowatt scale.

“We enable intermittent renewable energy sources to supply energy exactly when it is needed,” said Steve Crane, CEO of LightSail Energy. “The lack of this technology is what has been holding back the viability of wind and solar power. There is pent up demand for this technology at the right price point that is just off the charts. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The idea is the brainchild of Co-founder and Chief Scientist Danielle Fong, a Doogie Howswer-like prodigy who dropped out of her PhD program at the age of 17 to launch the company. She was recently featured in Forbes 30 Under 30.

Though pre-revenue, Crane expects the company to reach the break even point by 2015. Ultimately, he views LightSail as a billion dollar opportunity.

“The opportunity to solve the world’s energy problems quickly and cleanly is within our reach,” Crane said. “You can put this application down on a wind farm and immediately increase its revenue, or put it in a remote community and power an entire village. We have the essential technology that can seriously reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.”

Other investors included Khosla Ventures, which incubated the company and led LightSail’s earlier rounds, and Innovacorp. The new round brings the company’s total investment to $52.3 million

“For far too long, the clean tech industry has been driven by politicians and ideologues who trade people’s taxes for dreams,” said Peter Thiel. “But hype is not a sustainable energy source. While authentic energy breakthroughs are needed to overcome geological constraints, fraudulent companies have driven out the good. It’s time to find honest companies that can develop technologies that stand on real innovation instead of the backs of taxpayers. LightSail is run by engineers, not salespeople, and it promises to be one of the first true alternative energy storage companies.”

The company was founded in 2009.

In the world of bio-based plastic, Ecospan not only closes the loop, producing a solid, industry-suited plastic from 100 percent natural materials, but it does so at a cost efficiency that more than pays for itself in the end.

Using bio-based, petroleum-free materials, the company produces a material strong enough to be used in packaging, electronics, smart phone accesssories, cable modems and routers, disk drives, cosmetics, toys and even tooth brushes. Instead of a biodegradable approach, the company focuses on durable goods that can be reused a number of times before being completely recycled and used again. It provides a core strength of materials unmatched by competitors, allowing it to enter industries traditionally not served by bio-based plastic companies.

“Because our material is so rugged and strong, we can hit temperatures and ruggedness no one else can in the bio plastics industry,” said Jeff White, President of Ecospan. “We can get into high end consumer applications, whether it be electronics or home furnishings. We can mold our products in ways and shapes that can’t be done with traditional bio-based materials. People in the industry cannot believe what we do until they actually see it.”

While the company’s shipping materials tend to cost more than competitive alternatives, their strength allows for greater use, effectively allowing a 5 to 1 savings when used repeatedly. Instead of paying a cost disposal rate, its customers can create a completely closed loop recycled system that becomes a cost savings to their business.

“We provide our customers with a cost savings instead of a cost of disposal. We do it for free, and may even provide credits back,” White said. “Our customers actually make money by being sustainable and green.”

The company’s green energy approach grows like money on trees at a 200 to 300 percent annual growth rate. It started with its first customer in its first year, adding a handful of companies the following, and now serves a dozen clients that are rapidly expanding. Ecospan’s customers span the world on four continents, with production facilities in the US and Asia, and a certified partner in Europe that continues to fuel its expansion.

As bio-plastics become more profit incentive, the world of green energy will change, and quickly, White said.

“You’re going to see change very quickly for applications that benefit the end brand companies doing it,” White said. “Eco-friendly sustainability helps get people into our door, but in the end its our cost competition that seals the deal.”

The company aims to make solar more cost competitive and mainstream through an online crowdsourcing platform that enables the average citizen to create and fund solar projects. About 25 percent of the cost of solar installations are financing and customer acquisition costs, which Solar Mosaic’s platform is designed to reduce.

“Mosaic aims to enable millions of Americans to finance solar projects in communities around the country, creating new jobs and stimulating local economies,” the company explained in a press release on its blog announcing the grant. “By driving down the cost of solar, Mosaic will make it possible for more homeowners, businesses, and community organizations to share in the environmental and financial benefits of solar.”

Though its still quietly in a pre-launch period, the company’s platform has so far collected over $350,000 in interest free investments from 400 individuals. Its first five projects have generated a combined 73kW of energy, more than a million dollars worth of energy, and added 2,700 job hours. The startup has a special focus on community projects designed to benefit the local populace.

“Our mission is to create shared prosperity through clean energy,” said Mosaic’s President, Billy Parish. “Mosaic is the place where people can create clean energy, local jobs, and make a massive impact together.”

The grant was announced at the SunShot Grand Challenge Summit. The goal of the SunShot Initiative is to get the cost of solar below $1 per watt by 2020. At the announcement, DOE Secretary Steven Chu likened the initiative to President Kennedy’s “Moonshot Challenge” to put a man on the moon.

“Financing is a major part of getting the cost of solar down. There is a huge difference between borrowing at 12 percent vs. 10 percent vs. 8 percent,” Secretary Chu said.

The company also recently raised a $2.5 million Series A investment. It will use this investment and the DOE grant to expand and scale its model.

Founded in 2009 by energy activists Billy Parish and Daniel Rosen, hacker/designer Arthur Coulston, and serial entrepreneur Steve Richmond, the company is headquartered in Oakland. It strives to help launch solar projects throughout the US.

Envia System creates lithium-ion battery packs that produce 400-watt-hours per kilogram, validated by independent energy density tests at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Crane, Ind.

“We have made a 40 ampere cell in a large format that automakers can recognize and use,” Sujeet Kumar, the company’s co-founder and CTO told Scientific American.

The company implemented research from work done at the Argonne National Laboratory that used maganese in a mix of materials for a cathode (the electrode to which lithium ions gather) to create stronger energy densities. Envia focused on the anode, the electrode from which lithium ions flow to create electric current, and incorporated silicon along with the standard graphite to dramatically increase performance. The blend of silicon with carbon alleviates the problem that most silicon anodes have in keeping a charge. Silicon swells, but encasing it in the carbon and interlacing fibers circumvents this problem. Envia’s battery has been cycled 400 times and counting.

The technology also addresses the “thermal runway,” engineering talk for when a battery bursts into flames, problematic in energy dense storage devices incorporating lithium-ions. Batteries are typically subjected to an 8-millimeter nail penetration test, which the company claims to have passed.

“It’s mainly that the cells are much thinner,” Kumar told Scientific American. “It’s very easy to remove the heat.”

At $125 per kilowatt hour, the batteries are cheap at less than half of what current batteries cost, which typically contribute to 65 percent of the cost of an electric car. If the batteries stand up to further tests, they could enable a Nissan LEAF to travel 300 miles on a single charge, compared to the current 80 mils per charge the vehicles deliver today. Envia’s batteries could enable electrical cars to actually be practical, getting their owners everywhere they’d have to go in a single day without needing plugged in.

The company has GM as an investor, but has declined to state which car companies it is actually working with to implement the technology.

“We expect Envia’s next generation lithium-ion battery will revolutionize the [electric vehicle] industry by eliminating the three remaining barriers to mass adoption: cost, range and safety,” Kumar said in a statement announcing the breakthrough. “The ability to drive up to 300 miles on a single charge will eliminate ‘range anxiety.’”

Thanks to a recently landed $55.8 million in Series C funding, LanzaTech may soon be delivering that fuel to a gas station near you.

The round was led by the Malaysian Life Sciences Capital Fund. New investors PETRONAS Technology Ventures Sdn Bhd and the Dialog Group participated alongside existing investors Khosla Ventures, Qiming Venture Partners K1W1, bringing the company’s total investment funding to $85 million.
The company produces ethanol and other chemical products using a proprietary microbe that has a WHO Category 1 safety rating (the same as Baker’s yeast). It currently has a pilot project at a steel mill in New Zealand creating 15,000 gallons of ethanol per year, and a facility in Shanghai that produces 100,000 gallons of fuel per year. If all goes well, the company hopes to be producing 30 to 35 million gallons of fuel by the end of 2013, and reach a billion gallon annual capacity by 2016.

The company produces the fuel from carbon monoxide taken from smoke stack flues. The process uses up 80 to 90 percent of the carbon dioxide, using water as the key element. The water is further recycled to minimize the water footprint. The process has the unique advantage of creating energy without competing for food, land or water.

“With a lot of feedstock, you run into the inability to get to billions of gallons, but the petroleum industry measures itself in billions of gallons per day,” said Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech. “Technologies like ours focused on waste resources that are widely abundant can have a real impact on the energy pool just because of the availability of that feedstock resource. This technology can have a broad impact.”

In addition to ethanol, the company also produces butanol and proponal, which can be used as high energy building blocks for transportation fuels. The company will use the new funding to bring its efforts to commercial scale.

“From the level of interests we’ve gotten, we’re looking at a pretty strong global footprint,” Holmgren said. “The key is getting past the demonstration phrase, and then we’ll see that hockey stick, as they say.”

The company is currently working with Biol Steel, the largest steel manufacturer in China; Capital Steel, the fourth largest steel producer in China; Gimbol Steel in India; India Oil, India’s largest oil company; and Petromus, a Malaysian oil company. It is working with Virgin Atlantic to produce aviation fuel.

Steel mills potentially have the capacity to produce 30 billion gallons of fuel per year, Holmgren said.

“The world’s going to double its energy consumption over the next 40 years,” Holmgren said. “Even if you don’t substitute for a drop of petroleum, at least you can make sure that that additional growth all comes from alternatives. We think we could be 20 to 30 percent of that pool.”